Photographer runs workshop for Brazilians

John Cole ( centre) and David Westhead with their Brazilian students. Phot by Kasey Newton.

Published:15:00Saturday 12 July 2014

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A HASTINGS photographer spent the duration of the World Cup delivering photography workshops to disadvantaged youngsters in poor neighbourhoods, known as favelas, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

John Cole spent several weeks in the Jardim Colombo favela in southwest Sao Paulo encouraging young people to tell the story of the World Cup from their point of view.

Under the expert guidance of John and actor and producer David Westwood, the youngsters took to the streets to capture the World Cup celebrations, venturing to the city centre to photograph the Praça da Sé, an elegant square filled with tourists and beggars, and the Mercado Municipal, a huge central market.

John said: “If I had any doubts after months of endless scrounging for money, sorting logistical headaches and long nights processing images, they immediately evaporated when I said goodbye to our students. Gustavo Rei Panda wrote on his Facebook page, ‘When you are leaving, I am holding back the tears back.’ As was I.”In 2010, the dedicated duo John and David created Wembley to Soweto, a photography-based workshop which ran during the South African World Cup.It was aimed at providing professional photographic training and life-skills to disadvantaged young people. Since then the project, which has backing from Dame Judi Dench and Alan Rickman, has also run in Newcastle, Brighton, Cumbria and London.

This year David and John spent months raising funds so that they could take their successful workshop to the young people of Sao Palo. For more information visit www.johngullycole.blogspot.co.uk.